


No Personal Space

by Willowflower_Waterlily



Series: Marie Hawke and Rei Trevelyan [4]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 11:52:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3649341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willowflower_Waterlily/pseuds/Willowflower_Waterlily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some of the people of Haven are a little too hands on with the Herald, and Cullen acts like an ass.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The fire alarm went off at 3 AM EDT for no reason, and I've been up ever since.

Since becoming the Herald of Andraste, Rei has consistently had her personal space invaded, and someone has gone as far as to grab at her ass on more than one occasion. She was about to lose her temper with two particularly drunk soldiers, when Cullen happened upon them. "What are you doing to those men?" He asked, glaring at her.

"They were grabbing my ass, am I not allowed to defend myself?" She retorted.

"No." He replied, "men, go sleep it off." The two saluted and headed off to their tents. Rei watched them go, then turned and glared at Cullen.

"So why am I not allowed to protect myself?" She asked, two seconds from freezing him to the path.

"You are the Herald of Andraste, people want to be around you, and you must inspire them." Cullen said, "so deal with the invasion of space."

"So because I have this fucking thing on my hand, I am not allowed to have one moment of peace, and people are allowed to treat me like an object that they can play grab hands with?" Rei felt her soul start to fill with fire. "Spoken like a Templar."

"I am not a Templar anymore." Cullen said, gritting his teeth.

"The fuck you aren't." Rei replied, glaring. "You just said that my body is not my own, that I can not even so much as pray in peace. Just like the ones from Ostwick. Do me a favor, when we are not in a meeting, leave me the fuck alone." Rei turned and walked out the gates to Haven. Cullen ran to catch up to her.

"Where in the Void do you think your going?" He demanded. 

"To Blackwall, if that's okay with you, Knight-Captain." Rei sneered, and Cullen grabbed at her wrist.

"I am not a Templar anymore!" He exclaimed. Rei sent ice to her wrist until it was too cold for him to handle.

"You are the worst kind of man there is. The kind of man that would find excuses for other men to assault mage women. When I am in Haven, I will be by Bull or Blackwall when I am not in a meeting. I know that at least they respect me as a person." Rei said, before she walked away.

"You're an asshole, Curly." Varric said, frowning at him. Cullen glared at him and walked off. As he laid on his cot in his tent, Cullen thought back to what had taken place. He ran the fight through his mind over and over again, and realized that Varric was right. He was a grade A asshole to the Herald.


	2. Chapter 2

It seemed like from the moment he exited his tent in the morning, Cullen was almost consistently surrounded by women, and some men, who flirted shamelessly at him. Some even pawed at him, and went to grab for his ass. He looked around, to see if he could find someone to help beat them off of him, and his eyes met Rei's gaze. Her eyes were grave, as she talked with Bull. When Cullen's gaze met her's, she smirked at him, and walked up to the Chantry with Krem.

  
After finally evading the mob that had been around him all morning, Cullen entered the Chantry, and found Rei praying. He saw her back stiffen as he approached her, but did not interrupt her chanting. "Maker, my enemies are abundant. Many are those who rise up against me. But my faith sustains me; I shall not fear the legion, should they set themselves against me." She chanted, as she ignored Cullen. "Maker, though the darkness comes upon me, I shall embrace the light. I shall weather the storm. I shall endure. What you have created, no one can tear asunder."

"Why Trials?" Cullen asked, when it seemed she had stopped chanting. She looked in his direction and a scathing glare graced her features.

"Though all before me is shadow, yet shall the Maker be my guide. I shall not be left to wander the drifting roads of the Beyond. For there is no darkness in the Maker's Light, and nothing that He has wrought shall be lost." Rei continued, as she ignored Cullen's question. "Draw your last breath, my friends, cross the Veil and the Fade and all the stars in the sky. Rest at the Maker's right hand, and be Forgiven." Rei stood up to walk past Cullen, and he reached out for her.

"Herald." Cullen said, "May I have a word?" Rei sighed and turned to face him, her arms folded across her chest.

"If you must, Knight-Captain." Rei replied.

"Why were all those people hounding me today?" Cullen asked, ignoring how she addressed him, "was that your doing?"

"Mine, Bull, Blackwall, Sera, and Varric." Rei said, "it doesn't feel nice, does it? Shall I tell you that your body is not your own? To deal with it?" Cullen clenched his hands, and county to twenty before he answered.

"No." He admitted, "it did not. I wanted to apologize for what I said last night. It was unworthy. Do you truly have to deal with things like that all the time?"

"Yes." Rei stated, and turned from Cullen again.

"Why Trials?" Cullen asked again.

"It is none of your concern, as it doesn't have any bearing on Inquisition matters." Rei replied, and walked away, leaving Cullen to wonder what Rei had been through.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Events directly leading up to the next story in the series.

As Rei left the sables in Haven, she saw Cullen and another Templar approach her. "Andraste preserve me." She muttered as they reached her.

"Welcome back to Haven, Herald. I trust the mission went well." Cullen said, as he fingered the hilt of his sword idly. Rei sighed and raised an eyebrow.

"It's in the report I sent back, I trust you can read yes?" Rei said, annoyed at the intrusion of what she had hoped would be time she could take to practice before the meeting.

"Why are you always like that?" Cullen said, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I've done nothing to you."

"Really, how quickly you forget, Knight-Captain." She said and brushed passed the men.

"Herald." Rylen said, causing Rei to stop and spin around.

"What?!" She exclaimed, glaring.

"I wanted to thank you, on behalf of the soldiers for what you've done in the Hinterlands, and the Fallow Mire. Many of our soldiers have families in Ferelden." Rylen said calmly. 

"I'm happy I could help them." She replied, her shoulders relaxed for a moment before she stiffened again. "No one should lose family like that." Rei twirled around again, and headed off to the woods to train. Cullen started to go after her, but Rylen stepped in the way.

"Sir, if I might speak freely." Rylen said, and Cullen gave him an annoyed look.

"Yes, go ahead." Cullen replied in a growl, as he looked over Rylen's shoulder to the patch of woods the Herald disappeared into. 

"I was station in Ostwick for a time." Rylen said, and Cullen looked at him, suddenly curious. "I saw what happened to the mages there, what happened to her. While it's not my place to tell her story, I would recommend that you try to tread carefully with her. She has been through so much."

"As have many." Cullen said stiffly.

"Not like her." Rylen replied, with a hint of sadness in his voice. "The things they did to her, to the other mages there. The guilt I bear for letting it happen... It will be with me for the rest of my life. Give her some room, and in time, maybe she'll come to see that you are not the Templar she thinks you to be." Cullen stared at his second for a moment and thought about what Rylen told him as he headed toward the Chantry.

 

Rei practiced spells, aiming at rocks and snow in a clearing in the woods by Haven. When she heard the sound of footsteps behind her, she spun and aimed her staff at the intruder. It was the man that was with Cullen before. "What do you want, Templar." She spat, settling into a defensive position. Rylen raised his hands in a sign of peace, and Rei lowered her staff.

"I just wanted to let you know that the advisers are waiting for you in the war room." Rei gasped, and looked up at the sun. 

"I hadn't realized," she said, "thank you." Rylen nodded, and Rei took off running for the Chantry.


End file.
